NHL Playoffs 2012: Rangers-Devils and the 10 Biggest Rivalries in the NHL

Hockey is a sport with tons of action, intensity and rivalries that further enhance the thrill of victory when all is said and done.

The New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils are currently going head to head in the Eastern Conference final, and there is plenty of bad blood motivating the "Battle of the Hudson."

Besides the aforementioned "Cross River Rivalry," there are tons of rivalries alive and kicking in today's NHL. However, which other nine are the biggest and baddest?

In no particular order, here are 10 of the biggest rivalries in the NHL.

Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins

This rivalry has been ongoing for over 80 years and has further intensified in recent ones. The above video only further thrusts this rivalry back into the mainstream view.

These two teams are a part of the Original Six brotherhood and have quite the history when it comes to the playoffs, in addition to regular-season contests.

The Habs and Bruins have faced each other for a total of 32 playoff series in the time the two teams have been in existence.

Moments like above and those that involved Hall of Famers like Jean Beliveau and Bobby Orr will always make this one of the NHL's biggest rivalries.

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

These two teams call the state of Pennsylvania home, and even though geography separates the two teams over a significant distance, this rivalry is one of the most intense in the NHL today.

The first round of the 2012 NHL playoffs was a war between the two teams, and it got ugly early. There were suspensions, blood on the ice, and tons of fights on and off the ice between fans on both sides. 

The Flyers took a 3-0 series lead, and Pittsburgh crawled within a game of tying the series before the Flyers ultimately put the nail in the coffin.

The Penguins, though defeated in the first round this year, hold the title dominance with three Stanley Cups to the Flyers' two. 

This rivalry has taken a new face and involves marquee players like Sidney Crosby and Claude Giroux at the forefront.

Battle of Alberta

The Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames share the province of Alberta, and both teams have engaged in many contests throughout their storied rivalry.

Both teams were at each other's throats during the 1980s, especially when you consider the success of each team during that decade. The Oilers and Wayne Gretzky won multiple cups, while Lanny McDonald led the Flames to a Stanley Cup in 1989.

In the year 2012, tickets are still hard to come by whenever the Oilers and Flames meet each other. Fans are still proud of this rivalry amongst their families and friends throughout the region of Alberta.

The Oilers and Flames will always fight for province dominance in one of the league's biggest rivalries today.

Battle of the Hudson

The Hudson River divides these two franchises from each other, and there is always a strong contingent of fans from both sides in attendance. The Rangers and Devils' rivalry goes back to the late '80s and early '90s, but the powder keg was lit during the 1994 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Rangers edged out the Devils and went on to win their first title in 54 years, and New York was on top. The following year, the Devils won the cup after a shortened season as a result of the lockout and also went to win cups in 2000 and 2003.

Needless to say, the current series is very important. The Rangers are looking to advance to their first final since 1994 and reclaim the Stanley Cup.

Games featuring the two teams result in fights on and off the ice, and tons of raw emotion.

Moments like Stephane Matteau's overtime winner in 1994 remain ingrained in the minds of both franchises as a starting point, but moments like the Sean Avery and Martin Brodeur incident only have helped intensify this rivalry.

Colorado Avalanche vs. Detroit Red Wings

There was the Claude Lemieux hit that rocked Kris Draper. Then there was Patrick Roy and Chris Osgood tussling outside of their respective creases. Moments like these define the rivalry, as does the playoff series from the spring of 2002.

Watching this rivalry during the early '90s and 2000s was like watching a powder keg with a short lit fuse waiting to explode. No one knew what would happen after a devastating bodycheck. 

Many often overlook this rivalry due to the fact that many of the participants have since retired, but it still has roots deep within each of the two fanbases.  

All it would take to rekindle the rivalry today would be for someone to lay out Pavel Datsyuk or Gabriel Landeskog.

Not that it is an open challenge to any member of the Red Wings or Avs, but the hockey world would love to see that happen and have this rivalry be on fire again.

Detroit Red Wings vs. Chicago Blackhawks

This hit reignited a rivalry of historic proportions. The tension between both teams was always high because of the past history during both the regular season and playoffs.

The two teams hold the record for number of regular-season meetings with a total of 721. Detroit holds a 363-264-84 advantage.

However, this rivalry wasn't always as intense as it is now. While the Red Wings were winning multiple cups during the 2000s, the Blackhawks franchise, owned by Bill Wirtz, saw some darker days in terms of team success.

Then Wirtz died and passed the team onto his son. When coupled with a few top draft picks, the Blackhawks re-emerged as a Stanley Cup champion.

Hits like this and playoff series as of late have really restored this rivalry.

Battle of Ontario

The Battle of Ontario has featured many blood-boiling moments like the ones in the video above. Although today the two teams aren't at each other's throats during the playoffs, history runs deep between them.

This rivalry started back in 1920s when the original Senators were a member of the NHL. During the early days, the Senators won 11 Stanley Cups, with four of them occurring in the 1920s.  

The teams reacquainted themselves with one another after a divisional restructuring paired the two teams in the NHL's Northwest Division.

The Senators own the lifetime advantage with a 49-33-3-5 record against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Moments like the above hit and the Daniel Alfredsson fake stick-toss incident have further intensified this rivalry, and that is evident with Toronto fans still booing the Sens captain to this day.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens

This is one of the NHL's oldest and most intense rivalries, going as far back as 1917. Between 1944 and 1978, the Leafs and Habs faced each other in the playoffs 15 times. Those years also include five Stanley Cup Final matchups.

Montreal has been the more successful team in this rivalry, with a 378-309-88 record during the regular season and a 8-7 series record in 15 postseason meetings.

This rivalry is historical, cultural and huge between the fanbases in addition to the players. The Canadiens have been the superior team with their Stanley Cup dominance, while the Leafs have not won a Stanley Cup since 1967.

This rivalry has had numerous highs and lows with the most recent years involving playoff droughts for both teams. It has been a long time since the Leafs and Habs did playoff battle in 1978, so it is safe to say that both teams and fanbases are primed for a lengthy playoff run. 

Philadelphia Flyers vs. New York Rangers

This rivalry has existed for quite sometime in the sports world, involving not only hockey but baseball, basketball and football. However, the rivalry between the Broad St. Bullies and the Broadway Blueshirts was thrown into the limelight once again during the 2011-12 season.

With HBO's "24/7" and both teams squaring off at the Winter Classic, a ton of time was devoted to this storied rivalry.

As of late, the Rangers own the Flyers as the Blueshirts swept Philly 6-0 during the regular-season meetings.

This rivalry can be defined by moments like Winter Classic and the video clip above which brought Ranger fans to tears.

This rivalry never ceases to amaze because since 1974, these divisional rivals have been at each other's throats.

Vancouver Canucks vs. Chicago Blackhawks

The Canucks and 'Hawks may have tons of playoff moments from the past few postseasons, but this rivalry dates back to 1982. Before appearing in the Stanley Cup Final, the Canucks had to defeat the Blackhawks. 

Before that, the two teams were divisional rivals in the 1970s. However, it is moments like Raffi Torres laying out Brent Seabrook that really make the blood boil between the players, owners and fanbases.

The Blackhawks ended up having the last laugh because they still had won a Stanley Cup the year before, but the repeat Presidents' Trophy winners have been eliminated in two consecutive seasons.

This rivalry runs deep and has many moments from the past few years. With both teams eliminated from this year's playoffs, you can be well assured they will battle for supremacy in the 2012-13 season.